The Chicago White Sox and manager Robin Ventura have agreed to a "multiyear" contract extension, according to the team's official Twitter feed. General Manager Rick Hahn had this to say about the agreement:

"...There was never really any question in our minds as to who we wanted in the White Sox dugout now and into the future.” - Hahn on Ventura

Ventura is entering his third season of what was originally a three-year contract as manager for the South Side club. The White Sox went 63-99 last season and finished last in the AL Central, a significant drop off from Ventura's initial season in 2012 when Chicago went 85-77 and finished second in the division.

That disappointing performance in 2013 led to some question as to Ventura's long-term future in Chicago, especially since he turned down a contract extension during spring training last season. But just two days ago, Hahn expressed confidence that Ventura would be the White Sox's manager going forward in an interview with CSN Chicago.

"I fully expect Robin to be here long term," Hahn said on Wednesday. "Both he and I — we’ve had a lot of conversations together about where we see this thing headed and how we wanna get there and the process involved, and the labor pains involved with getting to where we want to be.

"Going back to last season, everything I’ve gotten from him and everything he’s gotten from me is that we’re both fully committed to making this thing work."

Chicago has added players such as first baseman Jose Abreu, center fielder Adam Eaton and third baseman Matt Davidson in the past six months, but the team isn't expected to compete for the top of the AL Central this season, so Ventura's extension is a definite sign that he and management are willing to be patient through more potential rebuilding years.

The White Sox did also enter the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes, but were considered a long shot throughout the process that eventually saw the Japanese star sign with the Yankees.

UPDATE: Ventura had this to say in a statement: "We have been on the same page since day one, but I'm very happy to have this behind us so we can continue to keep our focus on the playing field. I'm excited about the direction of the club and the moves we have made this offseason, but there is still a lot of work to be done so I think we're all ready to get to spring training and get started."